Israel will 'continue to act decisively' against Hezbollah, vows Katz: Day 414 of the war

Today's Israeli strike on Basta al-Fawqa, central Beirut, killed 20 people and injured 66 others, reported the Lebanese Health Ministry in the latest provisional toll. 

The Lebanese Health Ministry reported that 25 people were killed and 58 wounded yesterday by Israeli attacks in Lebanon, bringing the overall toll since Oct. 8, 2023 to 3,670 killed and 15,413 wounded.

An Israeli national has been missing in the United Arab Emirates since Wednesday, and Israeli security services are increasingly concerned that he may have been kidnapped, reported Haaretz. Security sources reported that authorities in both countries are investigating the case.

(Credit: Jack Guez/AFP)

Demonstrators lift placards and chant slogans during an anti-government protest demanding action for the release of Israelis held hostage by Palestinian militants in Gaza since the October 2023 attacks, in front of the Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv on Nov. 23, 2024.

The protests included families of the hostages, where parents of hostage Hersh Goidberg-Polin, killed in captivity in August, gave a speech demanding to be heard by Israeli leaders in addition to the return of the remaining hostages. 

The Israeli army claims to have "targeted dozens of Hezbollah command centers, weapons depots and military buildings" during the week, including in its "third wave" of attacks on Beirut's southern suburbs today.

Hezbollah announced that it launched a guided missile on an Israeli Merkava tank at 7:20 p.m. on the outskirts of Biyada, in southern Lebanon's Sour district. The party added that it had destroyed the tank, resulting in the death and injury of the soldiers operating it.

The Islamic Health Committee, a medical association affiliated with Hezbollah, announced the death of one of its rescuers, Hussein Hassan, from Burj al-Shemali, who was killed in an Israeli strike on Batoulieh (Sour district) in southern Lebanon. 

Israeli attacks in the Baalbeck-Hermel district have so far killed 24 people and wounded 45 others, reported the Lebanese Health Ministry. 

Below is the breakdown: 

- Bodai: five killed and five wounded.

- Al-Fakhani: one killed and three wounded. 

- Flawi: four killed and three wounded. 

- Brital: one killed. 

- Horatalla: three wounded. 

- Ras al-Ain: 18 wounded. 

Hezbollah claimed responsibility for an attack carried out at 7 p.m. on Meron, in northern Israel, with a salvo of missiles.

Hezbollah claimed responsibility for a 7 p.m. attack on Manara, in northern Israel, with a salvo of missiles.

Caretaker Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati assured his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni that Lebanon is committed to investigating the "unacceptable" attack on the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) on Friday, which injured four Italian soldiers and for which Rome and UNIFIL have blamed Hezbollah.

The Italian Ministry of Defense reported that four Italian soldiers suffered minor injuries after two rockets hit a UNIFIL base in Shamaa, southern Lebanon.

To find out more, press here.👈

Hezbollah claimed responsibility for an attack carried out with a salvo of missiles at 7 p.m. against Israeli soldiers in Malikiya, an Israeli town opposite Aitaroun (Bint Jbeil).

Latest updates in southern Lebanon:

- Israeli artillery hit Khrayeb, near Rashaya al-Foukhar in the Hasbaya district.

- White phosphorus artillery munitions targeted Mari (Hasbaya), near a Lebanese army center.

- Israeli aircraft struck Naqoura, in the Sour district.

- Israeli airstrikes also targeted Ghassanieh and Kawthariyet al-Siyyad, in the Saida district.

Hezbollah announced that it launched a salvo of missiles at 7 p.m. on a gathering of Israeli soldiers in Bar'am, an Israeli locality facing the Lebanese village of Yaroun (Bint Jbeil). 

Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz told his U.S. counterpart Lloyd Austin on Saturday that the country would "continue to act decisively" against Hezbollah, a spokesman said.

In a phone call with Austin, "Katz commended U.S. efforts to facilitate de-escalation in Lebanon, emphasized Israel's commitment to restoring security that would enable northern residents to return to their homes safely," and "underscored that Israel will continue to act decisively in response to Hezbollah's attacks on civilian populations in Israel," a spokesman for Katz said.

Latest developments in the Bekaa:

- An Israeli airstrike targeted the Qaa-Joussiyeh border crossing between Lebanon and Syria, reported our correspondent. This crossing was also targeted by Israeli strikes last month.

-The Lebanese Health Ministry reported that two people were injured in the Israeli strike on Sohmor.

Hezbollah claimed responsibility for an attack carried out at 4:30 a.m. on the Mishmar Karmel "air and missile defense" site 40 kilometers from the Lebanese-Israeli border south of Haifa, with a salvo of "quality missiles," the term used by the party to describe its precision-guided missiles.

Israeli attacks on Batoulieh and Ain Baal, in the Sour district, killed three paramedics from the Islamic Health Committee, affiliated with Hezbollah, reported our correspondent. 

The Amal Movement announced the death of one of its fighters, Lotfi Ali Jouni, born in 1969 and originally from Roumine in southern Lebanon. The announcement added that he was killed "in defense of Lebanon and the South." 

Two people were killed and another seriously wounded in the Israeli strike on Ain Baal, in southern Lebanon's Sour district, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.

Five people were killed and 19 others wounded in Israeli attacks on the southern Lebanese coastal city of Sour, reported the Lebanese Health Ministry in a revised casualty toll. 

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a nine-minute statement on Saturday in which he attacked Israel's law enforcement system following the investigation into leaks from his office, known as the BibiLeaks affair.

In the statement Netanyahu posted on X, he claimed that the purpose of the indictment filed against those suspected to have been involved in the case was to harm him and Israeli citizens.

"We are fighting on seven fronts and battling on this front as well," Netanyahu said. "This hunting machine will not deter me. Do not panic and do not give in to fear. We will overcome this."

Hundreds of Israelis attempted to cross a military checkpoint in the occupied West Bank city of Hebron to enter a restricted area closed off by Israeli army orders, a security source told Haaretz on Saturday. Clashes erupted at the scene, with settlers reportedly spitting at soldiers and throwing stones at Palestinian shops. One person was arrested during the incidents, according to media reports.

The checkpoint in question separates the part of Hebron, where Jewish settlements are concentrated, from the Old City, which is under Israeli control but has been off-limits to Israelis for years under army orders.

In the past, Israelis were permitted to enter the area during the annual Shabbat Chayei Sarah festival. However, following attacks on Palestinians by Israelis who entered the area two years ago, the army decided to enforce the ban this year.

Two air strikes targeted the Nmairieh and Mayfadoun in the Nabatieh district, reported out correspondent in southern Lebanon.

Hezbollah claimed responsibility for an attack by artillery shells on Israeli soldiers in Shamaa, in southern Lebanon's Sour district, at 5:20 p.m.

Earlier this week, the Israeli army announced installing an artillery battery in Lebanese territory. Our correspondent in southern Lebanon, along with several media outlets, confirmed that this artillery was deployed in the village of Shamaa. To find out more about this move and the strategic and military significance of the village of Shamaa, read Nemtala Edde's article.👈

According to NNA, one of the latest Israeli strikes on Beirut's southern suburbs targeted the area around the Lebanese University in Hadath, while another one targeted Burj al-Barajneh.

In a comprehensive tally of the deadly Israeli strikes on the Bekaa, our correspondent reported that 33 people were killed and 18 others were wounded

Below is the breakdown: 

- Chmestar: 20 killed and four wounded in three Israeli strikes 

- City of Baalbeck: 1 wounded in one Israeli strike

- Wadi Hfeir: 5 killed and 9 wounded in one Israeli strike

- Haour Taala: 4 injured in one Israeli strike

- Brital: 3 killed in one Israeli strike

- Flawi: 5 killed in one Israeli strike

Additionally, the Plans of Adous and Tayara were both hit by one Israeli strike; no reports of casualties have been provided. 

The latest Israeli attack on Beirut's southern suburbs targeted Burj al-Barajneh, according to local al-Jadeed news channel.

Hezbollah carried out a fourth attack against Israeli soldiers stationed in the Deir Mimas-Kfar Kila triangle with a salvo of missiles at 5:15 p.m.

Hezbollah claimed responsibility for additional attacks against Israelis invading soldiers, including strikes on a "gathering" of Israeli army forces east of the town of Khiam (Marjayoun) with rocket salvos at 4:40 p.m., 4:50 p.m., and 5:05 p.m., bringing the total number of such attacks near Khiam to seven.

At 4:30 p.m., Hezbollah also reported targeting another "gathering" of Israeli army forces in the Deir Mimas-Kfar Kila triangle with a rocket salvo, marking the third such strike in the area.

🔴 Another loud explosion was heard in and around Beirut. Local channel al-Jadeed reported a new Israeli strike on Beirut's southern suburbs.

🔴 Three Israeli strikes targeted Saint Theresa Street near the hospital in Hadath, in Beirut's southern suburbs, reported the state-run National News Agency (NNA).

The Israeli strike on the city of Sour killed one person and injured 16 others, three of them in critical condition, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.

Here are the provisional figures from the Lebanese Health Ministry for the Israeli attacks on several areas in the Bekaa today:

- Flawi (Baalbeck): one killed and two injured

- Brital (Baalbeck): one killed

- Ras al-Ain (Baalbeck): eight injured

- Hawr Taala (Bekaa): Three injured

* Additionally, our correspondent in the region reported that 20 people were killed in Chmestar, 3 in Flawi, 3 in Brital and 2 in Bodai.

Two people were injured in the previously reported Israeli strike on Batoulieh (Sour), reported our correspondent in southern Lebanon.

Several houses were booby-trapped and demolished by the Israeli army in Khiam (Marjayoun), where fighting between Hezbollah and the Israeli army has been reported earlier, according to our correspondent in southern Lebanon

A spokesman for the armed wing of Hamas said that an Israeli hostage was killed by Israeli bombardment in an area in northern Gaza, Reuters reports.

At least five people were killed and five others wounded, with two in critical condition, in the Israeli strike on Bodai, an initial report from the Lebanese Health Ministry reported.  

Hezbollah claimed responsibility for the following attacks:

- It targeted, for the second time, a gathering of Israeli soldiers "in the Deir Mimas - Kfar Kila triangle, with a salvo of rockets," at 4:15 p.m. in southern Lebanon's Marjayoun district. 

- At 4:30 p.m., the party targeted the Shraga base — the administrative headquarters of the Golani brigade command — north of Acre in northern Israel, with a salvo of rockets.

The aftermath of an Israeli strike targeting Sour, southern Lebanon, on Nov. 23, 2024. (Credit: Photo sent by our correspondent Muntasser Abdallah)

Updates on the situation in southern Lebanon, reported by our correspondent in the region:

- Two Sudanese nationals were killed in an Israeli drone strike on Doha-Kfar Roummane road (Nabatieh district).

- Heavy explosions are heard in Khiam (Marjayoun), near the village's historic detention center and municipality, and thick plumes of smoke can been seen rising from the area, our correspondent reported. 

- Israeli artillery bombardments shelled an area between the towns of Aba and Braikeh, and another air strike targeted an area between Braikeh and Qsaybeh (Nabatieh).

- A drone strike targeted a car in Sour.

- An air strike targeted Batoulieh, in the Sour district.

Clashes between Hezbollah fighters and the invading Israeli army are ongoing between Biyada and Wadi Hamoul (Sour district) in southern lebanon, and an "attempted incursion towards Naqoura" has been reported, according to the state-run National News Agency (NNA).

An Israeli drone targeted a person on a motorcycle in Kfar Roummane (Nabatieh), according to our correspondent in southern Lebanon.

Hezbollah announced that it used machine guns and missiles to fight Israeli troops "trying to infiltrate towards the west of Deir Mimas," Marjayoun, at 8:30 a.m., adding that it caused deaths and injuries within the invading troops, which "made the wounded retreat with heavy fire cover." 

Hezbollah claimed responsibility for two new attacks:

-At 3 p.m., the party said it had once again targeted the town of Kiryat Shmona, in northern Israel.

- At 3:30 p.m., the town of Safed was hit with a salvo of rockets.

Israeli aircraft broke the sound barrier twice over the Saida region, and the detonations were heard as far away as Beirut and beyond.

The Israeli strike on Basta al-Fawqa at dawn killed 15 people and wounded 63 others, according to the latest provisional figures from the Lebanese Ministry of Health.

Israeli attacks in southern Lebanon, reported by our correspondent: 

- Israeli artillery fire targeted Jarmak (Jezzine district)

- Artillery fire hit a house in Burj al-Muluk (Marjayoun), but no casualties have been reported so far.

- Artillery shells targeted several houses in Deir Mimas (Marjayoun); no casualties reported. 

- White phosphorus artillery firing targeted the Mashaa, between Majdal Zoun and Mansouri, in the Sour district.

A mother and her four children were killed in the previously reported Israeli strike on Chmestar, Bekaa.

In the Gaza Strip, the Israeli army killed 19 Palestinians in a new wave of bombardment, according to the Civil Defense. 

"Our life is nothing but misery. May they kill us all to relieve us of this suffering", exclaimed Oum Mohammad Abou Sabla, the sister of one of the victims killed in a strike in Khan Younis, southern Gaza. 

Seven people were injured in an Israeli strike on Chmestar, Bekaa. Debris removal operations remain ongoing, reported our correspondent in the region.

Israeli attacks in the Bekaa: 

- Four people were injured in an airstrike on Hafir al-Tahta

- Airstrikes also targeted Bodai, however, no injuries were reported, according to our correspondent in the region. 

Israeli attacks in southern Lebanon: 

- Airstrikes bombed Zebqine, south of Sour.

- Artillery fire targeted Mansouri (Sour) and houses in Rashaya al-Foukhar (Hasbaya).

One person was killed and two others wounded in an Israeli strike on Fikani, in central Bekaa, reported the Lebanese Health Ministry. 

The assassination attempt against Hezbollah's operations chief failed, Israeli security sources told Haaretz, referring to the Israeli strike on Beirut's Basta neighborhood. 

Israeli army destroys ancient archaeological house in Ras al-Ain, Baalbeck, according to our correspondent. New airstrikes targeted Shmustar, Talaya and the areas around Hourtaala and Brital.

At 1:00 p.m., Hezbollah targeted a Merkava tank with a guided missile west of Shamaa (Sour), claiming to have destroyed it and caused deaths and injuries.

Israeli airstrike on Roumin (Nabatieh) leaves five dead and three injured, according to the Ministry of Health.

Rocket fired from Lebanon at Kiryat Shmona was intercepted, according to the Israeli army.

- Israeli airstrike on Shmustar killed a woman and her children, according to our correspondent in the Bekaa.

- Israeli fighter jets carried out strikes between Tiri and Hanini, targeting Khirbet Silm and Majdal Selm, according to our correspondent in South Lebanon.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke today with Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz, according to the U.S. Department of Defense.

“Mr. Austin emphasized the importance of ensuring the security of the Lebanese Army and the UNIFIL forces in Lebanon,” the Pentagon said. He also reiterated the "commitment" of the United States to a "diplomatic solution in Lebanon." The Pentagon chief further called on "the Israeli government to continue taking steps to improve the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza," according to a statement

Hezbollah MP Amine Cherri, speaking from the site of the Israeli airstrike that targeted Basta at dawn, stated that no Hezbollah figure was present in the building targeted.

Sources also told Al-Hadath and Al-Mayadeen media that no senior Hezbollah members were targeted in the bombing.

In the morning, Israeli news channel Kann, citing an Israeli security source, claimed that "the target of the Beirut attack is senior Hezbollah official Mohammad Haidar." Earlier, media outlets had reported that Talal Hamiyeh, a senior Hezbollah official and the head of the party's clandestine operations unit, Unit 910, was the target of the strike.

- Israeli phosphorus shelling targets the outskirts of Arnoun (Nabatieh), according to our correspondent in the South.

- Israeli airstrike hits area near Flawiyeh, according to our correspondent in the Bekaa.

Photo provided by our correspondent Sarah Abdallah

An Israeli airstrike targeted Hourtaala and Ras al-Aïn in Baalbeck, according to our correspondent.

Two airstrikes targeted the Jabali-Chreiqi area in Khiam, according to our correspondent.

The South Lebanon Water Authority stated in a press release that its teams, in cooperation with other organizations, continue to clear the rubble from the facilities at the Sour water station.

On Monday, Israeli airstrikes targeted the city of Sour, destroying the city’s water office, cutting off the water supply, and killing two local officials.

The authority said its teams are conducting technical inspections, taking necessary measures, and providing equipment and spare parts to restore Sour's water supply.

The institution added that additional machines and teams will join the working crews tomorrow to help restore the water supply to the citizens.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called the International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrants issued against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant a "courageous decision."

“We support the arrest warrants. We find it important that this courageous decision is implemented by all countries party to the agreement in order to renew humanity’s trust in the international system,” the Turkish leader said in a speech in Istanbul.

A fourth Israeli strike targeted Roueis as part of the second wave of bombings on the southern suburbs of Beirut.

Israeli airstrikes hit Shmustar, Hoch, Addous, al-Hafir Bodaï, Assayreh and Baalbeck, according to our correspondent in the region.

Israeli airstrikes hit the Assaireh neighborhood in the city of Baalbeck and the road leading to the village of Hoch Tall Safiyeh, near an agricultural products company.

A third Israeli strike targeted Hadath as part of the second series of bombings on the southern suburbs of Beirut.

Israeli airstrikes hit Shmustar near Baalbeck, as well as Addous, Ali Nahri and Hay al-Fikani, according to a correspondent in the Bekaa region.

Hezbollah fighters launched a "barrage of rockets" at a gathering of Israeli soldiers east of Khiam today, with strikes reported at 12:40 p.m. and 12:55 p.m., according to local sources.

According to local media, the two Israeli strikes carried out as part of the second wave of bombardments on Beirut's southern suburbs targeted the Roueis area.

A new violent Israeli airstrike has struck the southern suburbs of Beirut, with plumes of black smoke covering the targeted area.

A Lebanese security source told AFP that a "senior official" of Hezbollah was the target of the Israeli raid carried out at dawn in the densely populated Basta neighborhood of Beirut.

"A senior Hezbollah official was targeted," the source said without specifying the individual's identity. "It has not been possible to confirm if he was killed," the source added, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The Gaza Health Ministry has announced a new death toll of 44,176 in the Palestinian territory since Oct. 7, 2023.

At least 120 people were killed in the past 48 hours, according to a statement, which also reported that 104,473 people have been injured in the Gaza Strip since the beginning of the war.

An Israeli strike targeted Roueis in the southern suburbs of Beirut, following the second evacuation notice of the day issued by the Israeli army to residents of five buildings in Hadath and Burj el-Barajneh.

At 9:30 a.m., Hezbollah targeted a gathering of Israeli soldiers east of Khiam with a "barrage of rockets" for the second time today. At 10:00 a.m., another barrage of rockets was fired at Israeli soldiers gathered in the Deir Mimas-Kfar Kila area.

Update on the Situation in South Lebanon:

- Heavy Israeli artillery fire targeted the areas around Nabatieh and Jabal al-Ahmar in the village of Harouf, as well as Deir Siryan and Tibe in Marjeyoun, Bint Jbeil and Kfar Roummane in Nabatieh.

- Five people were killed, and three others injured in the raid on Roumin (Nabatieh).

- Clashes between Hezbollah and the Israeli army, involving rockets and machine guns, continue in Khiam (Marjayoun), according to our correspondent. The Israeli army is attempting once again to bypass Hezbollah fighters near Nabe’ Ebel al-Saqi, which leads to the northern neighborhoods of the village, where previous infiltration attempts had failed.

An Israeli strike on Roumin in the Nabatieh region has resulted in deaths and injuries, according to our correspondent.

According to the Ministry of Health, this morning's Israeli drone strike targeting fishermen on a beach in Sour left two dead and three injured.

The Israeli army issues a new evacuation call for residents of certain buildings in Beirut's southern suburbs.

The call specifically targets two buildings in Burj al-Barajneh and three others in Hadath.

At 11:50 a.m., Hezbollah engaged with an advancing Israeli force on the eastern outskirts of Biyada, south of Sour, claiming to have caused "deaths and injuries." The group added that the clashes are ongoing.

The Amal Movement has announced the death of a second fighter, Hussein Mohammad Ajmi, who was also killed yesterday in Toura (Sour).

The situation in South Lebanon:

- Israeli artillery fire targeted Harouf (Nabatieh), Bint Jbeil and Chaatiyeh (Sour).

- A house was completely destroyed in this morning's Israeli strike on Bazourieh (Sour).

At 11:30 a.m., Hezbollah targeted a gathering of Israeli soldiers in the locality of Hanita, opposite the Lebanese village of Labbouneh, with a "barrage of rockets."

Israeli strike targets Bazourieh (Sour), according to our correspondent.

Five rockets fired at Haifa and Kiryat Ata overnight, says Israeli army, according to Haaretz

The police stated that one rocket hit a road in the industrial area of Kiryat Ata, also damaging a nearby building. No injuries were reported.

According to a new report from the Ministry of Health, the massive bombing of Basta in Beirut has left at least 11 dead and 63 injured.

The death toll from the violent Israeli strikes on Basta in Beirut has risen to 12 dead and 23 injured, according to Hassan Yassine, head of the Civil Defense center in Bachoura, speaking to our on-site journalist Lyana Alameddine.

Credit: Mohammad Yassine / L'Orient Today

Search operations continue in Basta el-Faouqa, central Beirut, according to our on-site journalist Lyana Alameddine. A rescuer stated that people are still missing under the rubble.

"The crater is very, very large," said a Lebanese soldier at the scene to our journalist Matthieu Karam, declining to provide further details. The crater remains inaccessible and out of view for the press, who are being kept behind a security cordon.

The death toll from the violent Israeli strikes that targeted the Basta Fawqa neighborhood in Beirut at 4 a.m. has risen to at least 11 dead and 23 injured, according to the Lebanese Civil Defense.

Overview of Israeli strikes on South Lebanon villages from midnight to 10 a.m., according to our correspondent:

- Israeli warplanes targeted Khiam, the "Kherdali" road, Ansariyeh, Biyada and Kounin-Ainata.

- Israeli drones hit Sour and Ansariyeh.

- Israeli artillery targeted Tayr Harfa, Shamaa, Biyada, Naqoura, Yohmor al-Chaqif, Arnoun, the outskirts of Nabatieh Fawqa, Khiam, Kounin, Baraashit, Beit Yahoun and Bouyout al-Siyad.

Credit: Mohammad Yassine / L'Orient Today

Clearing operations continue in Basta al-Fawqa, central Beirut, following violent Israeli strikes at 4 a.m. that killed at least four people.

Israeli warplanes targeted and completely destroyed a house in central Sohmor with two missiles, causing no injuries, according to our correspondent in the Bekaa.

Two people were killed and one injured in an Israeli drone strike this morning that targeted four fishermen on a beach in Sour, southern Lebanon, our correspondent reports.

The victims, originally from the Rashidieh Palestinian refugee camp, were known to visit this beach daily.

Read more here.

An Israeli raid targeted the "Khardali" road at the Nabatieh-Marjayoun area, causing it to be blocked once again.

The road had been reopened yesterday by the Lebanese Army and UNIFIL after being hit two days ago.

The Amal Movement announced the death of one of its fighters, Mohammad Hassan Chour, who was killed yesterday in Toura, southern Lebanon.

Two Israeli rockets struck a building near the Lebanese University campus in Hadath, according to the National News Agency.

This marks the fourth strike on Beirut's southern suburbs since the evacuation calls issued this morning by the Israeli army, which targeted three buildings in Hadath and Choueifate Amrousieh.

Gaza's Civil Defense announced this morning that 19 people, including children, were killed in Israeli airstrikes and shelling overnight in various parts of the Palestinian territory.

Civil Defense spokesperson Mahmoud Bassal told AFP: "19 Palestinians were killed and more than 40 others injured in three massacres caused by Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip between midnight and this morning," as well as in tank shelling in Rafah, in the south.

According to the Israeli channel Kann News, citing an Israeli security source, "the target of the attack in Beirut was senior Hezbollah official Mohammad Haidar." Earlier this morning, media outlets reported that Talal Hamiyé, a senior Hezbollah figure presented as the head of the party's clandestine operations unit, Unit 910, was the intended target of the strike.

No official confirmation has yet been issued by the Israeli army, and Hezbollah has not commented on the strike.

At 4 a.m., heavy Israeli strikes targeted the Basta al-Fawqa neighborhood in central Beirut, killing at least four people. An eight-story building was completely destroyed.

Credit: Mohammad Yassine / L'Orient Today

According to the National News Agency, the third Israeli strike targeted the vicinity of Hadath-Amrousieh in Beirut's southern suburbs.

A third Israeli strike targeted Beirut's southern suburbs, causing a loud explosion.

According to the National News Agency, the second Israeli strike targeted Choueifat.

Credit: Mohammad Yassine / L'Orient Today

People converse as a second Israeli strike targets Beirut's southern suburbs.

A second Israeli strike has hit Beirut's southern suburbs. Plumes of smoke cover the area.

Heavy Israeli artillery fire targeted Arnoun, Yohmor al-Shaqif and the hills surrounding the villages of Kfar Tibnit and Nabatieh al-Fawqa this morning, according to our correspondent.

Following evacuation calls issued by the Israeli army around 8:15 a.m. regarding three buildings in Hadath and Choueifat Amrousieh, a first strike was reported near the southern suburbs of Beirut.

According to local media, the strike targeted the outskirts of the Lebanese University campus in Choueifat Amrousieh.

The Arabic-speaking spokesperson for the Israeli army, Avichay Adraee, stated that the bombings carried out "over the past 24 hours" in Beirut's southern suburbs targeted "a weapons depot" and a "terrorist infrastructure" belonging to Hezbollah.

The Israeli army has yet to comment on last night's strike on Basta al-Fawqa, in the heart of the capital.

The Ministry of Health confirmed a preliminary toll of four dead and 23 injured in last night's Israeli strike on Basta al-Fawqa in Beirut. The ministry noted that clearing operations are still underway, and the toll is likely to rise.

Update on the Situation in South Lebanon, according to our correspondent Muntasser Abdallah:

- A strike targeted an area between Kounin and Ainata, in the Bint Jbeil district.

- Israeli warplanes bombed Biyada, south of Sour.

- An Israeli drone fired a missile at fishermen on a beach in Sour. Civil Defense reported one dead and two injured.

Credit: Mohammad Yassine / L'Orient Today

The Israeli army has called on residents of a building in Choueifat Amrousieh and two others in Hadath to evacuate, ahead of strikes targeting "Hezbollah infrastructure."

According to maps published by the army's Arabic-language spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, these buildings are identified as being located:

- In Choueifat: a few meters from the football stadium and the local branch of the Lebanese University.

- In Hadath: the first building is situated between the "Imam Kazem" complex and the headquarters of the Lebanese University (near the dormitories and sports facilities), while the second is also near the Lebanese University, but closer to its main entrance.

In West Bekaa, an Israeli strike targeted the outskirts of Sohmor, according to information from our correspondent Sarah Abdallah.

Fighting also continued in Khiam, a village approximately five kilometers from the Lebanese border in the Marjayoun district, where the Israeli army has been attempting to advance for a week. While Hezbollah claimed nearly a dozen attacks throughout the day on this village, Israeli artillery and airstrikes persisted in bombarding it.

In South Lebanon this morning, an Israeli strike targeted a house in Ansariyeh, in the Saida district, according to information from our correspondent Muntasser Abdallah. Meanwhile, Hezbollah announced a rocket strike shortly after midnight on Kiryat Shmona.

The night was marked by bombings on the forest near Kfar Tibnit, as well as a building in the center of the village, Roumin (Nabatieh district), Shebaa (Hasbaya), Aitit, Mahrouneh and Srifa (Sour).

This is the fourth Israeli airstrike this week targeting a central area of Beirut, while the majority of Israeli attacks have focused on the southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold.

On Sunday, a strike targeted the Syrian Baath Party headquarters in Ras al-Nabeh, where several officials from Hezbollah's media relations office were present. The head of this office, Mohammad Afif, was killed in the raid along with several colleagues. That same day, the Mar Elias neighborhood was targeted in a strike on an electronics store, resulting in multiple deaths. On Monday, a bombing struck Zokak al-Blat, a neighborhood located a few hundred meters from downtown Beirut.

On Wednesday, Hezbollah's leader, Naim Qassem, declared that his party would target "the center of Tel Aviv" in retaliation for Israeli strikes on Beirut.

The National News Agency (NNA) described the event as a "horrible massacre," reporting that the Israeli army "completely destroyed an eight-story residential building on Maamoun Street in the Basta neighborhood with five missiles."

Rescue efforts to clear the rubble continue at the site of the strike, with NNA reporting a "large number of dead and injured."

At least four missiles were fired on Beirut, according to security sources cited by Reuters, while several local media outlets speculated that the aircraft conducting the strikes dropped "bunker busters," munitions designed to penetrate underground before detonating.

According to the New York Times, which analyzed a video posted by the Israeli military with the help of experts, the planes that bombed Hezbollah’s headquarters in Beirut’s southern suburbs on Sept. 27 — killing Hassan Nasrallah — were equipped with at least 15 one-ton bombs, including the U.S.-made BLU-109.

Israeli warplanes bombed a building in Basta, a central Beirut neighborhood, at around 4 a.m. This strike, reportedly targeting a Hezbollah official according to Israeli media, killed at least four people and completely destroyed the building.

Hello,

We are starting our live coverage of events in Lebanon and the region, on the 414th day of the Gaza war and its repercussions. Today also marks the 413th day of the war in Lebanon.